Williams, Richard (2026) Who Checks the Fact-Checkers? AI, Misinformation, and Knowledge Intermediaries. [Preprint]

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Abstract

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) to transmit information in democratic societies presents a new problem for scientific objectivity. This paper extends objectivity from knowledge production to knowledge transmission. It analyses how an overlooked type of agent—knowledge intermediaries—produces an overlooked type of trust—external trust. In practice, citizens rely on intermediaries to transmit trustworthy information. This paper argues that centralised techno-legal approaches, privileging AIs as epistemically superior intermediaries, risk epistemic harm to human intermediaries. In contrast, a decentralised intermediaries approach that values contestation among human intermediaries is a better way to transmit trustworthy information and resist misinformation.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Williams, Richard richard.williams@tum.de 0000-0003-0039-7450
Additional Information:	Preprint. This paper is also available on PhilArchive: https://philarchive.org/rec/WILWCT.
Keywords:	Knowledge intermediaries External trust Scientific objectivity Misinformation Knowledge transmission AI regulation Epistemic harm Techno-legal
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Artificial Intelligence > AI and Ethics Specific Sciences > Artificial Intelligence General Issues > Ethical Issues General Issues > Science and Society General Issues > Science Education General Issues > Science and Policy General Issues > Values In Science
Depositing User:	Dr Richard Williams
Date Deposited:	03 Feb 2026 14:30
Last Modified:	03 Feb 2026 14:30
Item ID:	28084
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Artificial Intelligence > AI and Ethics Specific Sciences > Artificial Intelligence General Issues > Ethical Issues General Issues > Science and Society General Issues > Science Education General Issues > Science and Policy General Issues > Values In Science
Date:	2 February 2026
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/28084

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